Baseball Card Market Report for July 13-19, 2023 - Top eBay Sales

PLUS -- How is the HOF class of 2022 doing in the market?

Jul 21, 2023

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Honus Wagner for 10 Grand?

For decades, the undisputed king of the hobby, valuewise, has been the legendary T206 Honus Wagner tobacco card.

And, though the funky modern hobby and overall price explosion of recent years has muddied the Most Valuable Baseball Card title, there’s a mystique to that Wagner that no 1-of-1 Super Heritage Elite Gold Orange Refractor Sapphire Ring Pop Rox Instant bauble could ever match.

So, for old-time collectors, at least, seeing Wagner’s name in a list like our rundown of the most expensive baseball cards sold on eBay last week (see bottom of post) still makes our hearts jump.

No, it’s not THE Wagner, but the 1911 E94 down there is still pretty amazing. And it’s just one of three early-20th-century cards on our list.

Not to mention several 1950s humdingers mixed in among the requisite whizbang current card. It’s a fun list, as always, jam-packed with Hall of Famers and might-be Hall of Famers.

Which reminds me…

How Are 2022 HOF Cards Doing Now?

This weekend, a new class of Hall of Famers will be inducted into Cooperstown.

Which also means it’s been years since the Class of 2022 got their plaques.

So…how are the cards of those guys doing on the market with a year of HOF clout under their cardboard belts?

Well, to find out, I found the most popular rookie card for each of 2022’s enshrinees, by measure of the PSA Auction Price Realized tool. Then I found the most populous condition, again based on copies that PSA has graded.

Then I compared the selling prices for those cards in those grades in both July 2022 and July 2023.

Here is what I found…

1997 Fleer David Ortiz (#512) - PSA 10

July 2022 Value: $350
July 2023 Value: $200
Profit/loss: $-150
% change: -43%

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1952 Topps Minnie Minoso (#195) - PSA 5

July 2022 Value: $600
July 2023 Value: $600
Profit/loss: $0
% change: 0%

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1952 Topps Gil Hodges (#36) - PSA 4

July 2022 Value: $175
July 2023 Value: $125
Profit/loss: $-50
% change: -29%

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1960 Topps Jim Kaat (#136) - PSA 6

July 2022 Value: $225
July 2023 Value: $100
Profit/loss: $-125
% change: -56%

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

1965 Topps Tony Oliva (#340) - PSA 7

July 2022 Value: $400
July 2023 Value: $400
Profit/loss: $0
% change: 0%

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

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First off, you might notice that I left out Buck O’Neill and Bud Fowler above. That’s because there are precious few cards of those Negro Leagues legends changing hands.

So few, in fact, that I wasn’t able to find any meaningful comparisons.

OK, with that omission/caveat in mind, what happened with the rest of the Class of 2022?

Well, can you say, “Holy Hype Cycle, Batman!!”?

Because the market sure can.

In fact, these cards look like a classic case of prices skyrocketing in response to some news-y buzz, then crashing back to earth as the new HOFers gave way to other diamond hype.

In particular, if you paid big bucks for Big Papi or Kitty last summer, you would have lost your shirt selling those cards this summer.

Gil Hodges wasn’t much better.

Only Minnie and Oliva held their own over the last 12 months.

So, will the same fate befall Fred McGriff baseball cards in 2023-24? Check back in about a year.

Now here are some cards that some big spenders are betting big bucks (and likely a few prayers) won’t suffer the same downfall.

Top Baseball Card Sales on eBay for July 13-19, 2023

(Quick note — this list contains affiliate links to the original eBay listings.)

If you want to see updated 30-day market toppers anytime, we have a couple of resources over on WaxPackGods.com:

Most expensive baseball cards sold in the last 30 days
Most expensive football cards sold in the last 30 days
Most expensive basketball cards sold in the last 30 days

Now, on with the show …

Baseball Card Values Newsletter

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